


Papá, Can You Get the Moon For Me?

by oh_wowww



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Mythology - Freeform, Palawan (La casa de papel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:00:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26343019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oh_wowww/pseuds/oh_wowww
Summary: If she asks him for the moon, he would find a way to hang it up in a string.
Relationships: Professor | Sergio Marquina & Paula Vicuña, Raquel Murillo/Paula Vicuña, Raquel Murillo/Professor | Sergio Marquina
Comments: 28
Kudos: 67





	Papá, Can You Get the Moon For Me?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! It's my first fic here hehe. Leave some love at the comments or whatever. I wrote this because there was a Paula-Sergio void in canon and I needed that fix. This isn't proofread, sorry. This was written for my own self-gratification and I hope you enjoy the scenarios I created in my head. Enjoy!

“Mama!!!”

Paula screams as soon as Sergio unlocks the door and she runs across the room to greet Raquel, who was busy watering the plants. It used to be Sergio’s chore to water the indoor plants but after managing to kill four of the ten plants they have, he immediately caved in and asked Raquel for help. Apparently, being book smart can only get you so much. Raquel happily took over the task, seeing as she was the one who kept their garden back in Madrid in shape. Sergio would sometimes catch her talking to the plants and he found it adorable.

Raquel was slightly knocked off balance when Paula climbed on her back.  _ How did Paula become so heavy and big so fast? _ She remembers how tiny Paula used to be and with a hint of sentimentality, she smiles and feels proud that Paula is as healthy and happy as can be now.  _ Look how far we’ve come together, mi hija. _

“Ay hija you’re getting so heavy! Wait a second let me just--” She sets the watering can and spray on the ledge and readjusts Paula on her back. Sergio crosses the room with Paula’s overnight bag in one arm and sleeping bag in the other.

“Buenas tardes, mi amor.” He leaves a chaste kiss on her cheek and ruffles Paula’s hair. He notices that they might need to trim her bangs soon because it’s getting in the way of her eyes and he won’t admit it out loud but he feels a sense of joy and accomplishment every time Paula’s eyes turn into two little lines which are accompanied by a toothy grin.

“How was the drive home?” Raquel asks while getting accustomed to Paula’s weight on her back.

“Sergio got me ice cream and let me play my music in the car!” Paula answers for him, which made Sergio chuckle as he was once again, caught red-handed with giving in to Paula’s requests.

“You’re spoiling her, you know.” Raquel says in a warning tone. Sergio shrugs and goes to Paula’s room to drop the girl’s bags. Raquel turns her head to Paula’s cheek and says “You look like you had fun, but I missed you so much!” She adjusted Paula to be able to carry her in front of her and started leaving kisses across Paula’s cheeks and tickles on the sides of her torso.

“Mamaaaa it was just one night at Lucia’s!” Paula says in between giggles.

“But I missed you!!” Raquel has never taken their time together for granted here in Palawan, unlike in Madrid. Ever since she technically didn’t need a job, she spends all of her time around Paula, Sergio, and Mariví, and she feels lighter and more carefree because she has the chance to spend time with them.

It was the first night that Paula spent away from Raquel. She feels time slipping away when Paula reaches milestones in her life and she so badly wanted to encapsulate this time because she doesn’t think she is ready for Paula to grow up.

Sergio reenters the room with a serene expression, seeing Raquel and Paula in an embrace. He sneakily took out his phone and took a picture of the sight before him.

Raquel rubs Paula’s back and lays kisses tenderly on her hair. Suddenly, Paula’s head snaps back and she grabs her mom’s face and whispers “Mama we have to burn garlic before six!!”

“Por qué? Did you learn how to cook at Lucia’s?”

“No, mama! The  _ aswang _ might go inside our home and eat us!”

“The aswang will definitely eat you if you don’t shower and change your clothes. Tell me all about that aswang when you get back.”

“Okay mama, but let me down first!”

Raquel chuckled and watched her Paula go to her room, singing some melody about mothers and fathers and wanting...bread? Her limited knowledge on tagalog only made her pick up that much but even so, the song didn’t make sense to her, anyway.

Meanwhile, Sergio goes to the kitchen and fetches a glass of water for Paula and a few ponkans for himself. Keeping up with Paula’s energy is exhausting, but he thinks that maybe it just exhausts him because he’s never been around children before, and certainly the stakes are higher on making a good impression on Paula, so he lets her get her way most of the time if it’s just them.

Raquel finds Sergio on the end of the couch, trying to peel the ponkans. She giggles at the sight of Sergio not being able to peel off the skin of the ponkan in one go, and knowing how messy Paula can get when eating ponkan, she gets a dish cloth and passes it to Sergio.

He looks up at her with a silent gratitude in his eyes, happy that they have an unspoken language between them, even if it’s something as mundane as peeling off the skin of tangerines. Raquel sits on the other end of the couch, feet resting on the side of Sergio’s thigh, and looks at him as he struggles to open the fruit without the juices spilling all over his hands. She watches him with a small smile on her face and appreciates the view.

“Paula is enjoying her time here don’t you think?” She asks him.

“Hmm?” Sergio turns his head to her.

“I’ve never seen her so happy like this before. Back in Madrid, she was always so quiet and timid, never really liked talking about her friends. Now, she’s more affectionate and wanting to tell me every single thing that happened in her day.” She says fondly.

“Oh, yeah, I think spending time with you has been doing her good.” He munches on a piece of a successfully unpeeled ponkan after. He takes a piece and offers one to Raquel.

“Really? You don’t think it’s just because of the beach? I mean, she’s always so fond of the beach when mama and I took her there back in Spain.” She enjoys the sweet taste of ponkan erupt on her tongue. She reaches for the glass of water on the coffee table in front of them when Sergio stops her and says,

“No, cariño, that’s for Paula. It’s quite hot today, I don’t want her to get dehydrated,” She pulls her hand back. “But anyway, I think Paula is generally happier because you’re an amazing mother.” He bites on a piece of ponkan too eagerly and the juices spill from his mouth to his beard and trickles down to his shirt. He grabs the dishcloth Raquel gave him earlier and mumbles a soft “Thank you” to her direction as he cleans up his mess.

Raquel rolls her eyes at Sergio’s statement. She doesn’t feel like she’s doing enough as a mother. There were countless nights in Madrid wherein she would cry herself to sleep because she wasn’t present to all of Paula’s school activities, and wasn’t spending time getting to know her baby because work got in the way. Now that that’s all gone, she can’t help that nagging feeling at the back of her head that’s telling her that she’s not doing enough for Paula.

“No, really, I mean it. You do the best job in anticipating her needs between us three adults in this house. I don’t think I could ever even get to learn how to do that, but watching you with Paula makes me want to try, you know?” He starts to peel another ponkan, completely oblivious to Raquel’s inner mental battle, and passes the whole fruit to Raquel. She feels a speckle of validation from his words and she reminds herself to take it  _ one day at a time _ .

“What do you mean you don’t anticipate her needs? You literally got Paula a glass of water, without her even asking for it might I add, for the sole purpose of her not getting dehydrated. That’s some top notch father instincts, if you ask me.”

He raises his head from the ponkans and looks at Raquel. He comes to his senses and realizes that he  _ is  _ already trying. It gives him a sense of purpose and he feels like he just passed another level in the challenge that is fathering.

“Take it easy, mi amor. You’re doing your best.” She smiles at him and she notices that there was a spot of ponkan juice in his eyeglasses. She wipes it off and cradles his cheek. He smiles and when his dimples appear, she pinches his cheek.

Suddenly, like a tidal wave, Paula pounces in between the two adults on the couch and turns to Sergio.

“Can I have some?” She asks him with a tone that Sergio will immediately, and no doubt, always say yes to.

He starts to peel another ponkan for the three of them to share, while Paula drinks from the glass of water on the coffee table. Raquel looks at them both and thinks that Sergio totally has Paula figured out but he hasn’t realized it yet, and she feels a jolting happiness at that fact. She looks at their little family, enjoying ponkans on a hot and humid day in Palawan, and she thinks that there is nothing in this world that she could want more than spending time with her family and learning how to love and care for one another.

Paula leans back on her mother’s chest while Raquel holds her closer and nuzzles her nose in Paula’s hair, breathing her in. Nothing in the world could ever replace a bond like theirs and she feels grateful that they get to experience that in this lifetime.

“How was the sleepover at Lucia’s? Did you show her your collection of seashells?” Raquel asks her.

“It was so fun! And yes, I showed her my collection but she has some shells that are waaaaay cooler and I can’t wait to find something that cool on our beach.” Paula replies as she munches on the ponkan. Sergio hands her the towel he used earlier and says “Be careful, Paulita, you just cleaned up.”

Paula smiles at him with a toothy grin and apologetic eyes and asks for more ponkan.

“Lucia’s parents made us tea for our tea party and all her teddy bears were there to join us too. She has five Care Bears, mama! Five! They were all so fluffy, I wish I had a Care Bear to cuddle with so the _ manananggal _ and  _ aswang _ won’t take me.” Paula pouts.

“What’s that?” Sergio asks and passes another piece of ponkan to Paula. Although he’s stayed for much longer in Palawan than the Murillo women, he’s not that acquainted with the culture as much as Paula. He spends his time learning tagalog and bisaya because it’s easier to navigate the island if you know both and it’s easier to blend in with the people. He can’t just ask people randomly about myths, legends, and customs, but then again, talking to people and making conversation in general is already difficult for him. So he learns a lot from Paula’s daily chatter and basks on the fact that he found a new way to obtain information, from an eight year old nonetheless.

“Hmmm it’s hard to explain. Imagine a person that’s cut in half and haunts children like me. That’s a  _ manananggal _ .”

“Horizontally or vertically?” Raquel asks.

Paula turns to look at her mom and says “Horizontally, silly. It’d be weird if monsters walk around being cut vertically, mama. Estas loca?” She chuckles at her mom’s antics.

“Yeah, Raquel, that would be a weird sight and not scary at all. I would be concerned if a monster was cut vertically. Poor thing has to jump around in one leg.” Sergio says.

Raquel scoffs at the both of them and steals a piece of ponkan from Paula’s small hands.

“Well, I wouldn’t be concerned much about the monster’s welfare if it was trying to steal my baby no?” She hugs Paula tighter and Paula struggles to get out of her embrace.

“Mama stop squishing me!”

“But you’re my Care Bear, I need Paula cuddles so that the manananggal won’t take me!”

“Mama it’s no joke! Lucia says she saw one go inside their house! And then she says her abuela saw an  _ aswang _ one time!”

“What’s that other one?” Sergio asks, completely fascinated by the things that Paula is learning.

“An  _ aswang _ is like a vampire, I think. Something like that but not the same, it’s still different, but they all come out at night.” She turns to Raquel. “That’s why we have to burn garlic and put some on the door, mama! I told you a while ago! We can’t risk it!”

“Why do we have to put garlic?” Sergio says, trying to make sense of the correlation between the aswang and garlic. He comes up empty-handed with reason and he remembers that it’s an urban legend; of course it doesn’t have to make sense.

“Because that’s how it works. They don’t like garlic at all. Can we pleaaaase burn some mama? For protection from monsters?” Paula asks earnestly. She really seems to be terrified of monsters, and sleeping alone in her room just adds to her fear and does nothing to calm her down.

“But I like garlic.” Sergio mumbles to himself.

“Well, Paula if it makes you more comfortable, we’ll burn garlic after making dinner, okay cariño?” If there’s anything that Raquel does so well, besides all the things that she does, it’s calming down Paula. Her maternal instinct never fails her, and although sometimes they disagree, her negotiation skills have taught Paula to talk things out and communicate instead of letting their emotions get the best of them.

The first week in Palawan was the hardest they had to go through as a family. Paula was so apprehensive and paranoid with her surroundings, Mariví was wandering around and not being completely lucid made them fear for her safety, Sergio adjusting to family life and sharing his personal space was a challenge as well, and Raquell trying to cater to everybody’s feelings was exhausting. She had to be strong for everybody and now that Paula is responding well, Mariví enjoying her time relaxing by the beach, and Sergio learning parenting, she thinks that she can finally let out the air that she’s been holding and take it slow and easy for everybody.

“Okay mama! Lucia let me cuddle her Care Bear and it really helped me sleep better.” Paula says with a smile that’s insinuating something.  _ Sneaky kid _ .

“If you’re asking me to get you a Care Bear, the answer is no.” Raquel touches the tip of her finger to Paula’s nose and gets off the couch to prepare for dinner. Paula slumps over the backrest of the sofa and whines.

“But mamaaaa they’re so cuuuuute and fluffy!”

“No, Paula, you have enough stuffed toys in your room.”

Paula turns to Sergio and stares at him with eyes that resemble her mom’s when she wants something. He pops the last piece of ponkan in his mouth in order to not accidentally agree to Paula’s wishes and shrugs.

“Sergio, I know she’s looking at you! Don’t give in!” Raquel shouts from the kitchen.

“Please.” Paula whispers and smiles at Sergio. He knows he can’t resist Paula, not when he’s trying so hard to make her happy in Palawan and be comfortable around him, and also probably see him as a father figure, but that’s another wish for another day. A Care Bear wouldn’t hurt, right? He didn’t grow up with teddy bears since he always requested for books when he was younger but maybe the generation of kids is different now and the objects they seek comfort in changed as well.

He whispers to Paula “I’ll get you a small one so you can hide it from mama but you have to promise to eat your vegetables this week and love mama extra so she doesn’t suspect us of anything okay? I’ll do my best too. Deal?”

“Claro!” She hugs him and skips to go to her room to play with her toys, excited that she’s going to get a Care Bear to cuddle with soon.

Sergio brings the ponkan peelings and the glass of water to the kitchen. He disposes of the ponkan peelings and places the seed in a jar so that Raquel can plant it someday.

“Can I help you with anything?” He asks Raquel.

“No, it’s okay. I know you agreed to getting her a Care Bear.” She says with a wink. Raquel starts to fry onions and garlic in the pan and immediately, Sergio’s stomach makes a sound that signals that he’s hungry.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t eaten much today and it smells really good,” He laughs at the way his body reacts to food. He loves whatever Raquel cooks because when he is the one preparing food, it turns out very bland for everybody else, but when Raquel cooks, she makes even something as simple as an egg taste so delicious. There is a way that Raquel cooks that Sergio can’t decipher, maybe it’s the spices that she uses or her whipping something out of nothing but the ingredients available in the fridge that fascinates him. Either way, he realized soon enough that his meticulous way of cutting food into equal sizes won’t make anything taste better.

“And I’m sorry for saying yes to Paula. You have to understand, mi amor, she looks so much like you when she asks for something and I just can’t say no to that.” He grabs Raquel’s hand and presses a small kiss to it.

“It’s okay, just get her a small one, and next time be stronger and not give in please?” She kisses his cheek and gets back to cooking.

Sergio goes back to his study as he waits for dinner. He opens up a browser and searches for the  _ aswang _ and  _ manananggal _ that Paula was telling them about a while ago. He finds it fascinating how rich the culture is in Palawan. He gets lost in his search for other Philippine mythological creatures that he doesn’t notice Paula’s small head peeking from the door.

“Wacha doing?” she asks in a small voice.

“Come here, look, this is so interesting.” She climbs on his lap and looks at the computer screen.

Raquel finishes cooking dinner, a deliciously good recipe of adobo on the stove, and goes to call Sergio, Paula, and Mariví. She helps Mariví get to the table, her wobbly knees tired from walking on the beach and exploring the  _ palengke _ with her nurse. She went to fetch Paula from her room and she is surprised that she isn’t there.  _ Where could she be? She’s not outside collecting seashells, nor lounging in the hammock. _

Raquel hears a high-pitched squeal coming from Sergio’s study, and she approaches the room with urgency. She finds Paula and Sergio gawking at the computer, their faces illuminated by the screen, watching some video about the  _ manananggal _ and  _ aswang _ . Paula has her hands over her eyes but she’s looking through the gaps between fingers and Sergio has his mouth open in shock.

Raquel knocks on the door and opens the light in Sergio’s study. They both look up and squint their eyes as it adjusts to the light.

“Hey, time to eat dinner, and Sergio, can you put the tarps on on the patio after? I think it’s going to rain.”

They all head to the kitchen, they stomachs grumbling at the scent of chicken adobo wafting through the air. Sergio thinks he’s going to overload his plate with rice tonight and he can’t wait to pass out on their bed immediately after dinner.

Dinner went by smoothly, with Mariví chattering about the finds she and her nurse found in the  _ palengke _ . She’s interested in buying more plants for their home and some wicker baskets that would look beautiful in their living room. She also saw some intricate pottery and ceramic dish packages that were a steal.  _ Hija, you know how much these cost in Madrid? A fortune!  _

Sergio was just about to get his second serving of rice when they heard the gentle pitter patter of rain against their roof. He stands up to get the tarp instantly, sad that he can’t eat his adobo in peace. He assembles the tarp on the patio just in time as the rain starts to heavily pour. He gets back to his seat and resumes eating, happily full with dinner. Paula giggles when Sergio stands up to gather the empty dishes and she sees Sergio’s food belly. She pokes it and laughs because it reminds her of pregnant women and a pregnant Sergio is a weird thought but it makes her laugh anyway. She suddenly wraps her arms around him when the loud thunder startles her.

“Oh dear,” Sergio caresses Paula’s hair and rubs her back because the little girl has always been afraid of thunder, lightning, and heavy rains.

“I’ll go get the flashlights and prepare the candles, just in case. You’ll wash the dishes right?” Raquel asks.

“Sí, señora.” Sergio replies.

“Paula let’s get you ready for bed.” Mariví tells the little girl. Paula reluctantly lets go of Sergio’s leg and grabs at it again when the thunder loud clap is more intense than the previous one, and knocks the electricity down. They were surrounded by darkness. 

“It’s okay, Paulita, I got you.” He says to her.

“Did you and mama put garlic on the door already? I don’t want to die yet, Sergio” He hears the panic in her voice and he tries to console her the way Raquel would.

“Tell you what, while you go get ready for bed, I’ll hang up the garlic by your door after I wash the dishes. Is that okay? Would that work for you?”

“Okay,” she lets go of Sergio’s leg and reaches for her abuela, “Let’s go.”

Raquel comes back with flashlights and candles. She lights a candle up in every corner of their house so they can navigate through the space with ease. She knows how Paula is still so scared of the dark and fondly remembers how Paula used to climb on her bed in the middle of night when it was raining heavily in Madrid.

“Are you okay? Do you need help with anything?” Raquel asks Sergio.

“I’m fine. I’ll be with you when I finish washing the dishes.”

“Don’t forget to blow out the candles when you’re done. I’ll go check on Paula.”

“She seems much more agitated tonight, cariño.”

“It’s the rain. She’ll be fine, I’ll just stay with her until she falls asleep. Do you mind?”

“No, it’s okay. Whatever helps her be comfortable.” He smiles at her and resumes washing the dishes. He heads to their bed afterwards and hugs a pillow to help him sleep. He’s so used to sleeping with Raquel clinging to him so It doesn’t feel right when he sleeps with his arms empty. The cold breeze and the sounds of falling rain lull him to sleep much faster than he usually would.

Raquel follows soon after Paula falls asleep in her arms. The sight of Sergio looking so peaceful brings her sense of peace, despite the raging storm outside. She rests her head on the pillow, spoons Sergio, and falls asleep.

\----------

The thunder wakes Sergio up in the middle of the night. He almost fell off the bed but he was grateful for Raquel’s strong arms preventing him from getting a bruise on his butt. He tries to get back to sleep but to no avail, he’s fully awake now. He checks his phone and sees that it’s barely one in the morning. 

Even with the thick sheets covering them both, he still feels cold. He supposes that his body has gotten so used to the warm climate in Palawan that he doesn’t remember what cold feels like. The electricity still hasn’t gone up yet, so he gets up, puts a blanket on himself, lights a candle and makes his way to the kitchen to make tea. Maybe a good cup of chamomile tea would help him sleep.

As he steps out the door of their bedroom, he gets startled when he sees a small figure sitting on the couch and hears sobs emitting from the small body.

“Pisting yawa!”  _ Is this the manananggal or aswang that Paula was talking about? _ Oh shit, he forgot to put garlic on the door. 

_ I’m so sorry, Paula _ , he thinks. He had one job tonight, and he failed her.

The rumbling of the thunder frightens both Sergio and the figure, and it starts wailing louder. Sergio is frozen on the spot, not knowing what to do. The video that he and Paula were watching earlier provided instructions on how to ward off the monsters, but the garlic was all the way in the kitchen, and by the time it takes to cross the room and search for the garlic, his presence would be known by the  _ manananggal.  _ He won’t be able to make it in time to protect himself.

Nope, he wouldn’t allow himself to die like this. He didn’t manage to rob the Spanish government just to be killed off by a horizontally cut mythological creature. That would be such an anticlimactic way to die, and he wasn’t here for it. 

He takes a discreet step to the kitchen and his blood spikes with adrenaline as he hypes himself up to fight his impending demise when the figure slowly turns to him, noticing his presence in the space.

“Sergio?” It asks in a small voice that he would recognize anywhere.

“Paula? What are you doing up in the middle of the night?” He is confused as he registers the figure on the couch as Paula. He lets go of the breath that he was holding. He feels  _ immense relief _ that he wasn’t going to die at the hands of a mythical creature. 

He sees Paula clutch at the throw pillow, trying to dry her tears. He goes to the kitchen and gets her a glass of water and a tissue box. He hands it to Paula and she drinks the water up eagerly.

Sergio takes a seat at the other end of the sofa and stares at the little girl, still astonished that it was just her.  _ He has nothing to fear about when it’s Paula.  _ He trusts her and she trusts him, and it’s a bond that was rocky to forge at first but they were working on it the moment they stepped foot in Palawan.

The winds and rains haven’t ceased and it only terrified Paula more that their only source of light was the candle Sergio placed on top of the coffee table.

“I couldn’t sleep.” She answers while shivering. Sergio takes the blanket on his shoulders and wraps it around Paula.

“Why were you crying?”

“Because I saw an aswang, Sergio!” She started crying again, and put her head on Sergio’s lap.

Sergio didn’t know how to deal with a hysterical Paula. He is experiencing everything for the first time and it terrifies him.  _ Would it make Paula feel better if he were to join her at the midnight crying-fest? Probably not,  _ he thinks. It would probably scare her more to see a grown man in his mid 40s crying because it would mean everything really is going to shit.

So he stays strong for the both of them, and rubs her back, because he knows that gesture was comforting when he was a child.

“Where did you see it?” He asks.

“In my room,” she sniffles and raises her head to look up at him, “I didn’t see its face but I saw the shadow and it’s exactly how Lucia described it!”

Sergio puts his arm around her and says “It’s okay. I’m here now. You have nothing to worry about. The aswang should be scared of me! We watched the video and we know how to fight it right? I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Really?” She presses.

“Really, Paulita.” He chuckles.

The rain has slowed down now, and they can hear the gentle sounds it makes as it falls.

“Why didn’t you come to our room?” He asks Paula.

“Because there’s no garlic on your door and I thought the aswang came for you already.” She says in between hiccups. He feels so stupid for not putting the stupid garlic on the door. Sergio hands her the glass of water to help subside the hiccups.

“Paula, next time, don’t hesitate to come to us for anything okay?” He assures her.

She nods against his chest and tucks her head in the space between his armpit and torso.

“I don’t want to go back to my room.” She pleads. 

“Hang on here.” He readjusts the blanket on Paula’s shoulders, and moves the coffee table to the other side of the living room and heads to the direction of Paula’s room. Paula gasps in surprise when she sees Sergio holding her mattress on one arm and pillows on the other.

“Are we going to have a sleepover?!” She asks, excited at the thought.

_ She’s back, _ he thinks,  _ happy Paula is back _ and he would do anything just to see that toothy grin on her face.

“Well, I thought, you would hurt your neck if you slept on the couch.” He pushes up his glasses up his nose and looks at Paula bashfully.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s get this party started!” She raises her arms up in happiness. It seems to him like Paula is the type of person who is carefree and willing to do anything with the right company. Although Sergio notes that she can be quite the scaredy cat when provoked and too much of a carefree attitude may lead her to harm, he thinks that she will be able to decide which situations she will put herself in when she gets older because of how good Paula communicates her thoughts and feelings. 

Together they set up the mattress in the middle of the living room, knocking over one of Raquel’s plants in the process. Sergio grabs a flashlight, tests to see if it’s working, and points it upward from his chin to help him see better.

“Sergio, you look scary.”

“Oh, sorry.” He points the flashlight to the sound of Paula’s voice instead and she instantly covers her eyes because he directly pointed it in them. He forgets how small Paula is sometimes because she has such a big personality.

“Ow.”

“I’m sorry!”

They both lie down on the mattress and Paula shifts her body to look at him. He figures that Paula likes talking before sleeping and he would happily indulge her in whatever topic she wants to talk about.

“You know, this could all have been prevented if you didn’t forget to put the garlic on the door.” She says in an accusatory tone.

“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again. I must have been so lost in my thoughts while I was washing the dishes.”

“It’s okay. You’re here now so the aswang will probably back off.”

The rain has slowed to a halt and they only hear the wind making its way through the house. They shivered in the cold but they had enough blankets to keep warm. The sky is slowly cleared out of heavy clouds and they can clearly see the night sky.

Then, one of Raquel’s succulents lands on the floor with a loud thud.

“AAAAAAAAA” Both Paula and Sergio shrieked at the same time and Paula immediately grabbed onto Sergio, shaking from fright and fear. Sergio lifts his head from the pillow and sees the remains of the plant across the floor. He mentally thanks Raquel’s instincts to buy plastic plant pots instead of the clay ones. At least they wouldn’t injure themselves in the morning, should they accidentally step on shards of plant housing.

“IT’S GOING TO TAKE ME OH NO” Paula presses her face harder into Sergio’s chest and clamps her legs across his body.

“Shhhh, Paula, it’s not going to take you. It was just one of mama’s plants.” He strokes her hair gently and cradles her.

“Can you please stay with me until I fall asleep?” He sees tears well up in the girl’s eyes and he wipes them away.

“Of course. You should get some sleep though, it’s bad for kids to be awake at early hours in the morning.”

“But I’m not sleepy.”

Sergio looks through every box in his brain for things that could help Paula fall asleep. He certainly can’t give her milk because she’s wrapped around him and he doubts that she will let go of him, when he’s the only possible reason that the aswang hasn’t taken her. Yet.

“Bueno, we can count the stars and look for constellations.”

“That’s a great idea. Okay, tell me everything you know about them, and what’s a contenlation?”

“Constellation. It’s a group of stars forming a pattern.”

“What kind of pattern?”

She loosens her grip on him and Sergio is grateful that the aswang has been pushed back to the recesses of her attention. He is entertained by how short Paula’s attention span from one topic to another is when she’s interested. He thinks that Paula must have a question-generating machine inside her head because she’s always so curious about anything.

The night sky is clear and free of clouds already. They can see the moon from their position on the mattress.

“Like, for example, you see there,” He points at a patch of the sky that they can view from their window. “On the left of the moon, there’s those four stars over there. Can you see it?”

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“That’s Aries. It’s an example of a constellation.”

“Ohh.” She nods her head.

“It’s hard to see them.” She complains to Sergio.

“That’s why astronomers use a telescope to see the stars clearly.”

Paula tries to repeat the foreign words she hears Sergio use and fails miserably. He smiles at her attempt to wrap her mouth around the syllables and he feels happy to be able to teach her about things beyond the world.

“Do you want to count the stars instead?” He asks her. She agrees and they immediately start counting. He feels her breathing get heavier as her numbers increase and he knows that she is falling asleep. He feels his eyes start to lose focus and shut close when he hears Paula’s tiny voice say,

“Papá, can you get the moon for me?”

His eyes snap open and he looks at her tenderly. He feels his heart speed up and tears collect in his eyes when he hears Paula call him papá.  _ So this is what it feels like. _

He feels the fullness of his heart in his chest. He never thought that he would ever earn that title and trust from Paula. The overwhelming joy of being called papá prompted butterflies in his stomach to flutter and though it felt weird to correlate happiness with butterflies, he wouldn’t have it any other way. He feels responsible now for this child’s happiness and he would gladly embark on the task without hesitations. 

The previous weeks in Palawan now made sense to him. He realizes that he stayed with Paula because he felt the need to protect her. He wanted to make her feel safe with him so that she would grow up confident in herself. He wanted to establish trust between them because he feels a connection with her that transcends blood and genetic make up, and not even Raquel could prepare him for the tidal waves of emotions that he would suddenly feel for this little girl, and of course, Raquel was right.

He thought about what to say for a while, because technically, he can’t get her the moon, even with all the money that they had from the heist. He certainly doesn’t think that he could manipulate gravitational forces to bring the moon closer to them, but he would be willing to try and exhaust his mental capacity just to make her happy.

He was about to reply when he heard her soft snores. The sound of the beach and her gentle snoring lulled him to sleep.

_ If she asks him for the moon, he would find a way to hang it up in a string. _

\------------

Raquel wakes up the next day and feels the empty presence of a warm body beside her. Confused, she heads to the window to look for Sergio outside but she doesn’t see him.  _ Hmm, maybe he went for a run. _

She grabs the shawl hanging from her dresser and heads outside to check on Paula. She opens the door and is delighted by the picture she sees.

In front of her, in the living room, is Paula and Sergio, apparently in deep sleep because Raquel closed the bedroom door way too hard on her way out. From afar, she sees Paula on top of Sergio, her small arm across his body, her hand clutching at the curls on the base of his neck, and one leg over his torso. Meanwhile, Sergio was laying on his back, his hands on his stomach, _ his favorite sleeping position _ , and his mouth wide open.

She approaches them with soft steps and she couldn’t help giggling as she hears them both snoring softly. Paula’s hair was a mess and Sergio drooling.

She takes out her phone and discreetly takes a picture of them and tries to stifle her laughter. She takes Sergio’s glasses off of his face and puts it on top of the coffee table.

She wonders what happened last night that made the loves of her life end up in a mattress in the living room, but that’s a question for later.

She lies down on the mattress, Paula in between them, and wraps her arms on the two most important people in her world. When Sergio and Paula feel her warmth and presence beside them, they instinctively adjust their position to include her in their cuddles, even in their sleep. 

  
She closes her eyes and breathes them in, and feels happiness and content fill her stomach. She hears the sound of the beach and once again, drifts to sleep peacefully in the arms of her  _ family _ .

**Author's Note:**

> uwu thanks for reading! shoutout to my friends meg, anna, nicole, and chloe for hyping me up to write this crazy idea. luv y'all. hit me up on twitter @steponmenajwa


End file.
